Dispensing container



Nov. 28, 1967 G. DE WAYNE MILES DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed Dec. 13, 1965 FIG. 6

INVENT OR GILBERT DE WAYNE MILES BY M M, 4M1 w W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,355,069 I DESPENSING CONTAINER Gilbert De Wayne Miles, Ossining, N.Y., assignor to Colgate-Palmolive Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 513,503 9 Claims. (Cl. 222-83) This invention relates to dispensing containers and particularly to novel cover structure for such containers which may be sealed during packaging against leaking or sifting of liquid or powder, and .by simple manipulation of a closure element when in use provided with dispensing openings that are covered and uncovered in different positions of the closure element.

It has been proposed to provide access to a dispensing container by cutting off the tops of raised hollow cover projections with a knife, and it is generally old in the container art to provide an apertured cover mounting a slidable closure element for selective covering and uncovering of the apertures.

The present invention provides an improvementover such art by providing for the first time a cover structure formed with one or more hollow projections and controllably slidably mounting an element that is formed with a knife edge for severing the projections upon the first use of the container and is then adapted to serve as a closure for the openings thus formed when desired, and it' is the major object of the invention to provide this construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide an initially sealed imperforate cover structure for a dispensing container wherein openings are formed in the cover during first use by shiftable displacement of a sharp edged closure element to sever hollow projections in the cover wall, the closure element being restrained for movement in a plane and selectively positionable to open or close the openings formed by severance of the projections.

Further objects of the invention will appear in connection with the appended claims and the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a container top having a closure according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a section substantially on line 22 of FIGURE 1 showing the position of the parts prior to opening;

FIGURE 3 is a section substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section showing a detail of the invention;

FIGURES is a view like FIGURE 4 but with the movable closure element displaced to cut the tips off the cover projections and overlie the openings provided therey;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section showing a different cutter on the closure element; and

FIGURE 7 shows the invention applied to a rotary closure element.

Referring to FIGURE 1-5, the invention is disclosed as applied to the cover or top Wall 11 of a plastic, paper or metal container for a powder or granular substance to be dispensed.

This top wall 11 is preferably comprised of a molded plastic member 12 that extends across the entire top of the container indicated at 13. In some forms of the invention top wall member 12 may be an integral continuation of the container side walls, but in any event it is secured to the container side walls substantially permanently around its periphery as shown at 14 and there is no leakage of the container contents at this joint. Usually the cover member 12 is non-removably secured upon the container 13.

Member 12 is formed with a generally rectangular top surface recess 15 which along its side edges is formed with undercut parallel side guides 16 and 17.

Adjacent one edge of recess 15 the bottom wall 18 of the recess is formed with a plurality of upwardly extending projections 19, which are preferably formed during the molding operation and are best illustrated in FIG- URES 4 and 5.

The stiff plastic impermeable bottom wall 18 of the recess is relatively thin and the hollow interior 21 of each projection 19 extends to a level well above the floor of recess 15 for a purpose to appear. Any suitable number of projections 19 of any desired size may be provided.

A relatively rigid fiat slide member 22 is mounted to extend between guideways 16 and 17 for displacement in the direction of projections 19 and back again as desired. The opposite sides of member 22 are formed with guide projections 23 and 24 extending into the undercut guides so as to restrain movement of the slide member 22 substantially only to displacement along the fioor of recess 15. The flat bottom 25 of member 22 has sliding engagement with the flat top surface 26 of wall 18.

Member 22 is preferably a molded plastic element of the same material as cover 12 capable of easy sliding fit within the guideways 16 and 17. If desired an integral lug 27 may upstand from member 22 to provide a fingerpiece for easy slide action but in most devices it may be sufiicient to merely roughen the top surface of member 22 or otherwise enable it to be pushed along the guideways.

A knife edge 31 is provided on slide member 22 adja cent the top surface 26 of wall 18. This knife edge may be the integral stiff sharp projection 32 shown as extending along the front side of member 22, or it may be an imbedded metal blade 33 for example as shown in FIG- URE 6. In any event the knife edge is sharp enough to cut the material of projections 19.

When the container full of powder or the like is sold it is sealed tight and completely sift-proof since cover 12 is integral or sealed with the container 13 and projections 19 are integral with the cover. This is the arrangement of parts shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 4, which exists up until the time of first use.

When it is desired to use the contents of the container, slide member 22 is displaced to the right in FIGURE 1 until the knife edge 32 has severed the tops off all of the projections 19, thereby reaching a condition such as shown in FIGURE 5 wherein the bottom wall 18 of the recess is now formed with openings 33 bridged by the bottom surface 25 of slide 22 which is of sufiicient area to cover all of the openings.

Even should the knife edge 32 or 33 be slightly above the plane of surface 26, it will shear off the projections cleanly and smoothly and bottom surface 25 of the slide member will snugly cover the annular opening projections thus formed. The plastic material of cover 12 and member 22 is preferably stiff but inherently resilient, which factor combined with the action of guideways 16 and 17 in restraining displacement of slide member 22 away from the bottom of the recess insures that in the FIG- URE 5 position member 22 is a tight closure for all of the openings 33.

Now, to dispense some of the contents, slide 22 is merely moved back to the left to uncover some or all of the openings 33. When it is desired to reclose the container after use, slide 22 is moved to the right to cover the openings 33, and the inherent resiliency and friction of the plastic parts retains it in this position.

FIGURE 7 shows another embodiment wherein the circular top wall 41 of a molded plastic container has a circular recess 42 therein with an undercut guideway 43, shaped like that at 16 and 17, extending continuously around within it. A plurality of integral hollow projections 44, like those at 19, extend above the planar surface of recess 42.

A rotary slide member 45 has its periphery formed to fit into the undercut at 44 whereby it is restrained against displacement from the recess when rotated in the guideway. Member 45 is formed with an aperture 46 along one edge of which is provided an integral or inserted stiff knife edge 47. An integral lug 48 upstands from slide 45.

When filled and shipped top wall 41 is sealed across the container top and aperture 46 surrounds the group of projections 44 as shown in FIGURE 7. To dispense contents, slide 45 is rotated counterclockwise once, during which knife edge 47 severs the projections to form openings in the bottom of the recess which are uncovered by reverse movement of the slide to line them up with aperture 46. When it is desired to reclose the container the slide 45 is turned counterclockwise until its flat bottom surface which slides over the fiat bottom surface of recess 46 extends tightly and snugly over the openings.

All of the parts in both embodiments may be made of molded plastic such as polyethylene, except that the slide members may be made of a stiffer plastic such as a vinyl compound to provide a cutting edge harder than the polyethylene projections to be severed.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of the equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dispensing container assembly, a hollow container member having an opening, an initially imperforate cover member extending across said opening and having a fiat external surface portion integrally formed with at least one upwardly extending hollow projection, means providing a slide guide on the upper side of said cover, and a rigid closure element having a cutting edge shiftably mounted and retained in said guide for movement in a plane along said surface portion between one position where it is spaced from said projection and a second position where said element severs said projection on the first movement thereto to form a dispensing opening communicating with the interior of said container member, said closure element thereafter serving in said first position to uncover said dispensing opening for dispensing and in said second position for closing said dispensing openmg.

2. In the dispensing container assembly defined in claim 1, said slide guide on the cover comprising parallel guideways receiving opposed sides of said closure element with an interlocking fit providing restraint of said closure element to reciprocable linear sliding in a plane,

3. In the dispensing container assembly defined in claim 1, said slide guide on the cover comprising a circular guideway receiving the periphery of said closure element with an interlocking fit providing restraint of said closure element to rotatable sliding movement in a plane.

4. In the dispensing container assembly defined in claim 1, said cover member being formed with a shallow surface recess having a relatively thin bottom wall defining said fiat surface portion, and the opposite sides of said recess being parallel and comprising said slide guide for the closure element.

5. In the dispensing container assembly defined in claim 4, said opposite sides of said recess being undercut and said closure element being formed with side projections extending into said undercut sides whereby said closure element is positively restrained against substantial displacement from said fiat surface portion.

6. In the dispensing container assembly defined in claim 1, said cutting edge being an integral formation on said closure element.

7. In the dispensing container assembly defined in claim 1, said cutting edge being a sharp blade mounted on said closure element.

8. In the dispensing container assembly defined in claim 1, said cutting edge being sharp enough to cleanly sever said projection in a plane, and the bottom surface of said closure element being fiat and smooth to sealingly overlie said dispensing openings in said second position.

9. In the dispensing container assembly defined in claim 1, said cover member being formed with a circular surface recess having said flat surface portion, said integral hollow projection being provided in an area of the recess bottom wall, and said closure element being rotatably mounted on the cover in substantially sliding contact with said surface portion and being formed with an aperture disposed over said projection area, said cutting edge being provided on said closure element within the aperture adjacent said surface portion, whereby when the container contents are to be dispensed the user first rotates the closure element until said cutting edge severs said projection to provide a dispensing opening and then rotates the closure element back to align said aperture with said openings, said closure element further being capable of rotation to overlie and close said opening when dispensing is not desired.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,590,437 3/1952 Maves 222561 X 2,659,517 11/1953 Reinhardt 222-541 X 2,961,132 11/1960 Ankney 222480 3,081,011 3/1963 Stull. 3,160,325 12/1964 Stull 222153 3,261,504 7/1966 Sabaka 22283 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

, L- STAC Ass an xami e. 

1. IN A DISPENSING CONTAINER ASSEMBLY, A HOLLOW CONTAINER MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING, AN INITIALLY IMPERFORATE COVER MEMBER EXTENDING ACROSS SAID OPENING AND HAVING A FLAT EXTERNAL SURFACE PORTION INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH AT LEAST ONE UPWARDLY EXTENDING HOLLOW PROJECTION, MEANS PROVIDING A SLIDE GUIDE ON THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID COVER, AND A RIGID CLOSURE ELEMENT HAVING A CUTTING EDGE SHIFTABLY MOUNTED AND RETAINED IN SAID GUIDE FOR MOVEMENT IN A PLANE ALONG SAID SURFACE PORTION BETWEEN ONE POSITION WHERE IT IS SPACED FROM SAID PROJECTION AND A SECOND POSITION WHERE SAID ELEMENT SEVERS SAID PROJECTION ON THE FIRST MOVEMENT THERETO TO FORM A DISPENSING OPENING COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR SERVING IN SAID FIRST POSISAID CLOSURE ELEMENT THEREAFTER SERVING IN SAID FIRST POSITION TO UNCOVER SAID DISPENSING OPENING FOR DISPENSING AND IN SAID SECOND POSITION FOR CLOSING DISPENSING OPENING. 